A stunning achievement sure to please middle graders, teachers, and librarians. Here’s the official background from National Geographic:
More than 160 tribes are featured presenting a comprehensive overview of the history of North America’s Native peoples. From the Apache to the Zuni, readers will learn about each tribe’s history, traditions, and culture, including the impact of European expansion across the land and how tribes live today. Features include maps of ancestral lands; timelines of important dates and events; fact boxes for each tribe; bios of influential American Indians such as Sitting Bull; sidebars on daily life, homes, food, clothing, jewelry, and games;   To help give kids the lay of the land, this reference is arranged by region, and all federally recognized tribes are included. Tribal members representing each region and experts at the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution were involved in its creation.

PUBLISHED: 2019   PAGE COUNT: 304

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WHAT I LOVED ABOUT: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY & CULTURE

The colorful and amazing photos, many in two page spreads. You’ll immediately feel the history and traditions of indigenous people.

How the author organized the massive amount of material. Arranged in eight color-coded geographic areas. You can read it in any order.

Each section includes a detailed time-line with up to 20 key dates in the region’s tribal history. Appealing layout as photos blend in well with the text.

A DID YOU KNOW? feature which are eye opening and revealing. My favorite? The Nez Perce once owned the largest herd of horses in North America.

Each chapter ends with a traditional story from one of the tribes. THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY, HOW COYOTE CAME BY HIS POWERS, and THE RABBIT AND THE FROG were three you don’t want to miss.

A book like this could not be called authoritative without the impressive list of consults including members of Native American communities, a social studies curriculum specialist, and Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American Indian.

The encyclopedia would make a great Christmas gift for yourself or a young person’s library. There’s something new to learn on each page. I spent literally hours enjoying the stories and facts associated with each tribe. You can do the same by entering the GIVEAWAY of a hardback edition. All you have to do is enter a brief comment below. U.S. addresses only. The winner will be chosen Thanksgiving Eve! Good luck!